Almost LIfesize!

     So, I have been playing a bit with blogger lately and just figured out how to change my top picture again - loved the last one, but we are a bit older (& wiser?) now.  Anyway, I also figured out how to make it not so small, however, I can only get it small or HUGE!  So, until I have more time to mess with it - you get to see us lifesize!  YEA!  Just what we all wanted.  :)
     Oh, and I figured out how to add music!  Which has taken me several tries, but I got it figured out!  Right now it is Disney because of all the Disney posts, but I will have to figure out how to update it.  If there are any computer savvy people out there who want to help me out, that would be great!
     We are having a lovely Saturday full of nothing but nothing.  It's great - first one we have had, should have probably used it cleaning out the garage, but I guess there is always next Saturday, or is there?  Hopefully everyone else has had a much more productive day than we have had.

Home Again Jiggity Jig

     Well, it's time to go home!  We were all ready to go even though we had so much fun!  We were tired and ready to get on with the Christmas festivities.  In fact, we had to get home so that we could get to the girls' first Nutcracker performance.  Jainie's first one ever!  Too bad she was too sick to go, she was better by the next performance.
     So, farewell, good-bye, auf wiedersehen, audieu or something like that.  Thanks for the memories and the magic - it will be a trip we will always remember and cherish!

Yep, we had quite a bit more luggage.  In fact, Gpa left a pair of tennis shoes to be able to fit more stuff to take home.  We left that fancy stroller Jainie is in.  (You can see Jainie is eating a frozen pb&j sandwich.  We had so many quick service meal credits at the end, we went and picked up as many pb&j sandwich meals as we could with out last credits - I think there were like 12.  So, the whole trip home whenever the kids said they were hungry, I would whip out a sandwich for them.  Not really want they wanted, but it did satisfy.  And, we had so many that there was a mother with her 4 young kids sitting in front of us and they were all starving so we gave each of them a sandwich.  Mmm - I think they are pretty tasty).

Luckily, the kids still find the plane fascinating!  That makes it a bit easier.  It was Jake and Jainie's first plane ride, well, the trip out was.

Ahh! mountains - Utah!!!  We are so glad to be home - and SNOW!!!  Beautiful!

Hollywood Studios - O.E.A. Day 9

   Good morning to another beautiful, chilly, Florida day!  This was our very last day and I had decided that this would be the day we would go to Hollywood Studios.  I LOVE Hollywood Studios, it has my favorite ride, Tower of Terror and my other favorite ride, Rock n' Roller Coaster.  Woohoo!  I knew everyone would be excited!  Also, I was excited to see the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights.  The reason we went here on the last day was because I wanted the kids to see Fantasmic! and this was the only day they showed it that fit into the plan.  (They do have this show at Disneyland, but you have to stand the entire time and then save a spot so early so you can see, sometimes I wonder if it is worth it).  Anyway, off we go!

Jainie Belle was FREEZING this day!  You can see no one else was quite this cold, since we piled all the blankets on top of her - hey!, she was happy!

So, today I hadn't mapped everything out and this is definitely the park I know the least.  We had to stop, once inside the park, and look up where we were going.  I was off picking up an extra stroller for my 7-year old.  :)

We started walking down Sunset Blvd. when one of the cast members stopped and talked to Josie, this is how she tells it:

"I was just walking on the main street headed to Toy Story Mania when a man dressed in goofy clothes stopped me and asked if I was an actress. I was pretty confused until Sara started laughing, then I said no. The man said that I must be an actress and he made me make a whole bunch of faces. He had me cry which was very difficult since I couldn't stop laughing. After that he gave me a necklace that had a plastic, golden, trophy on it that said "best actress" and he suggested acting for my career!"

So, I didn't mention that the day before this, the day we went to MK, the only day we didn't drive, we got back to our cabins and Gpa's and Gma's mirror had been broken off of their rental car.  (We really have no luck with rental cars).  Anyway, luckily, there was a note there explaining that the maid accidentally knocked it off while driving her little golf cart thingy.  It was still a hassle.  Gpa and Gma had to go the next morning and talk to the manager of the Ft. Wilderness area to figure out how it was going to be all worked out.  Because of all of this, we were a few minutes late today.  BUT, they did give us a free fastpass to any ride we wanted.  So, while someone ran and got fastpasses for Rock n' Roller Coaster, the rest of us headed to Toy Story Mania!  Easily the busiest ride in the park.  Really, the line is unbelievable - we got there pretty early in the morning on a cold, not-too busy day and the fastpasses were already out until 6pm that night!  We were all glad we could just jump on and go.  It really is a pretty great ride - who doesn't like a little competition?  You can tell from the pictures who our competition was. 

Dad was a little nervous about being with any of the rest of us toughies so he and Jainie were partners - I am pretty sure that Jainie won!  :)

I wish I could say that we were all just excited to be here today.  Unfortunately, we still had some tired, ornery kids.  Jake was still struggling - not sure why it was such a rough vacation for him.  Hopefully, he will remember it with fondness.

Don't let his innocent, sweet face fool you - he has an attitude!  This was all within a few minutes.  Honestly, I can't even remember what he wanted at this point.  I don't think he knew what he wanted - just something different than he was getting, I suppose.  I do know he didn't want his picture taken - but, I will love these pictures and remember it and the reality of vacations with children.

We were already getting hungry at this point but felt we had to get at least one more thing in before stopping.  This is when we were in line for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid live musical show.  They only had a few time slots so we knew we better get it in quick.  While we were in line, Gma and some of the kids ran and bought a snack for all of us to share.  It made the line more enjoyable for Jake and Jainie, well, probably everyone, but you can see Jaxon, Josh and Josie do pretty well in lines now.  As long as they don't annoy each other too much.

I just love how Disney does everything so well.  Aren't those flowers perfect!

We decided to go get a snack at this point, we went to the Starring Rolls Cafe.  It was YUMMMY!  It had sandwiches and pitas, healthy things like that but then it had the BEST desserts we had at Disney, I think.  I chose a chocolate croissant, because since eating them everyday when I was in Europe, I am addicted and whenever there is a menu that has them, I have to try them out.  It was tasty - but not as good as Jaxon's cupcake.  This was the Butterfinger Cupcake and I am telling you - it was something else!  The whole thing is not frosting on the top, but they would hollow out the cupcake, put a filling in it and then put the cupcake part back on - then frost around that part and on top of it.  Then, they dipped it in a chocolate coating crust and sprinkled with butterfiger.  I am salivating just thinking of it.  Anyone know how to make it?

I know we had other good desserts there too.  I know someone got a gigantic rice krispie treat and we got a fresh fruit tart and a strawberry parfait and an eclair and a chocolate peanut butter cupcake, and don't get me wrong, they were all delicious too!  I tried as many of them as possible!

After this, we went to The Great Movie Ride (always entertaining) & the Studio Backlot Tour.  It was kind of a chill day.  Just enjoying and taking pictures and having fun!

Josh actually smiling at the camera is not something you will see often, I had to include it!

You can see Sara was getting tired at this point, she rode in the stroller for quite awhile really - maybe 7 minutes.  I think Dad was holding Jake.

Here we were on our way to use our fastpasses at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.  Such a great ride - we made it on there at least a couple times.  As many as I could go on in a row, I had had enough - but that was at the end of the day when I was tired.  

Josie and I came out first and we got this sweet attitude picture of Jos.  This is how the ride makes you feel - pretty cool.  :)

And, here is everyone who went on the ride.  Josh (in stroller), Dad, Sara, Gpa, Jaxon, Josie, Jake, and me.  You can tell we are ready to play some Aerosmith on our air guitars!  What a thrill!

Meanwhile, Gma didn't want to go on it and Jainie was too little (she didn't want to go anyway), so they went shopping.  Gma bought Jainie this darling hat that she absolutely adored and wore the rest of the day.

This hat put a little pep in her step!

The Beauty and the Beast show was right after our ride and in that part of the park, so it worked out wonderfully.  We even had enough time to get on Tower of Terror first!  I LOVE that ride, have I mentioned that yet?  This was Jake's first time going on it and I am not sure how he felt about it.  Most of the kids don't love it yet, but I am sure it will grow on them.

We had a bit of time before the show started so we just sat and enjoyed the ambiance.  Except for Jainie who was really not feeling well at this point.  You can tell she has had better days, it was heartbreaking really.  But, she was a trooper!

While we waited, we tried playing some games to entertain us.  Dad was pretty good at these.  You can tell Josh enjoyed it, as did Josie.

It was a great show and all the kids enjoyed it - some more than others.  :)

After this, it was time to go to the Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show.  It was the last one we could go to.  I really wanted to let Jainie see the parade, "Block Party Bash,"  where you can sing and dance in the street.  I thought she would like it better than the stunt show, so Jainie and I went to find the parade.  She had a temperature and wasn't feeling too well so she was being pretty mellow.  I thought I might be able to catch up with the show later.  Off we went, our different directions.  

Since I had the camera, this is the only picture we got from the stunt show - Josie took it with her camera.  You can't tell unless you look closely but this is when Herbie is cut in half - yep - don't know how they do it, but at one point he is whole, then he has to go around this food stand, and so he cuts himself in half and keeps driving, then puts himself back together again!  Amazing!  There are also people on fire and cars and jumps and all sorts of fun stuff.  Everyone loved it.

Here you can see Jainie trying to dance with the parade - she danced with Boo (from Monsters) for a minute.  But, just couldn't keep up the energy - you can tell she doesn't feel well, poor thing.  We finally left mid-parade so she could use a restroom.  Then, we did a little shopping, well, I did.  She slept in the stroller.  It was very peaceful for me.  I definitely enjoyed it!

After she woke up, I thought it would be fun to wait for the others in the The Magic of Disney Animation area.  It is an interactive area and you get to meet various characters - usually characters from the newest Disney movie coming out.  There were lots of characters from The Incredibles and Mickey is usually there - I can't remember who else was there, Jainie refused to meet all of them - except Mickey.  She really did want to meet him - so glad I had the camera.  We waited in line for about 15 minutes before it was her turn.  Then, Mickey spent at least 5 minutes alone with just Jainie.  He was so cute with her, just hugging her and hugging her and then looking at her.  Then, hugging her again . .

 then kissing her repeatedly.  It really was darling - that is why she finally started smiling. The cast member who was helping with Mickey told us several times that Mickey must really like Jainie because he spent so much time with her.  Then, she would tell us that Mickey thought Jainie was so adorable.  Finally, she told Mickey it was time to move on and still Mickey gave her more hugs.  It was sweet and just what made a magical day for a sick little girl.  Hope we didn't get Mickey sick!  

Then, we spent some time coloring Flounder with Jainie's finger.  She really enjoyed this. We also took a quiz of which Disney character we were most like.  I was like Mulan and Jainie was like Tinkerbell - we were both thrilled.

She had a lot of fun in here, but after about 35 minutes, we were wondering where everyone else was.  We found out that something in the stunt show had broken down or burned or something so the show had to stop for awhile making it take longer.  It was really nice to spend some one on one time with Beller - she is a doll.

Together again and everyone is still pooped!  You can see her sweet necklace/award here.

Time for Fantasmic!  Gpa and Gma decided not to go to the show, but the rest of us headed off to get good seats.  Actually, Dad, Sara, and the kids went and rode one more ride while Jainie and I went and saved spots.  Everyone else made it pretty quick though.  Then, we got some snacks - churros, hot chocolate, a turkey leg, and sat down to enjoy the show.  It is always a fun one to watch, but I have never fully appreciated the big fire scene like I did this year - it toasted things right up!

This is the finale - where we get to see all the characters together and Mickey has defeated the villains - YEA! Go Mickey!

Star Tours was the one ride that was closed while we were there.  Most of us weren't too sad about it, but Jake was.  We did walk by and see this sweet ride and decided to take advantage and get some pics.

Oh no!, here come the stormtroopers!

AHHHH!  Jake is falling off!

We are going too fast!  Everyone is falling off!  

We had to hurry to go the Spectacle of Lights because our dinner plans were immediately following this and we had to hurry to get home.  So, we went and enjoyed the light party for a few minutes, singing and dancing up and down the street before we left Hollywood Studios!

Gpa enjoying the Christmas ambiance.  It really is amazing, don't you think?

Good-bye Hollywood Studios - it was a great day!  We had a wonderful time and we all wished we would have had more time to stay and explore all your secrets.

Our dinner reservations were for the Hoop-de-Doo Revue, which is one of my all-time favorite dinner shows.  We went back in 2000, with the Oldroyd family so I remembered some of it.  I knew the kids would LOVE it, especially the older kids who understand the slap stick humor a bit more.  

Gpa and Gma had taken Jainie back a bit early with them, since she wasn't feeling well.  So, they were already back at their cabin.  We had to book it.  We had to drive back to our cabin, drop off the car then catch the bus out to the right spot.  The show is in Ft. Wilderness, so it wasn't too far as soon as we got home, we just had to get to Ft. Wilderness.  So, off we went.  Gpa and Gma had been waiting for the bus for quite awhile and luckily we caught up with them right before the bus got there.  Obviously, Dad and I had to drop off the car before we could get on the bus, but we dropped all the kids off and then we figured we could run if we had to.  We got there at least 15 minutes after everyone else and one of the manager's found us, saw that we were rushed and I think felt bad for us.  So, he told us he would show us to our seats and then took us to the very front, center table!  It was great!  Just the two of us, enjoying the show, drinking strawberry lemonade.  It lasted a few minutes before we decided we had better go sit by all of our kids and not leave them with Gpa, Gma, and Sara.  So, we went back and sat by the fam.  Which was actually more fun.  For a while.  Then, Jainie started feeling worse again, so I had to hold her.  Then, all of the sudden, Josh came over to us crying and holding his cheek and his night was ruined as well.  His tooth was killing him and he was miserable the rest of the night.  Stink!  I hate that vacations always have to have something like that.  

During part of the show, they pass out these washboards and you get to play them, Jaxon, Josie and Jake all took a turn.

 Jake loved this part!  You can see Josh's misery in the background.

Our sweet waitress asked if she could take our picture, so, of course, we let her.  This is us for the show.  It was a delicious meal too - all you can eat - and there was lots!  You definitely get full during this meal, with entertainment.  There was salad, baked beans, fried chicken, smoked BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, cornbread, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  YUM!  One of the entertainers - can't remember her name - is in the yellow-checked dress in the background.  It really is a fun time!

Whew!  We didn't get back to the cabins until about 11:30 so we were pooped.  We were somewhat packed but stayed up VERY late packing most of the rest up.  The kids all fell asleep quickly though, that was good.  And, this darling display is what the maid set up for us while we were gone.  It really was a magical vacation, Disney sure does know how to make you feel special.  I am ready to go again immediately - even in the heat!  This time I would like to go to a beach though.  :)

O.E.A. Day 8 - Epcot Fanatics!

     So, this was our free day, we could do whatever we wanted.  Of course, there was quite a bit of controversy between the kids on what we should do.  Sara really wanted to go see Harry Potter world so Gpa said he would go with her and they went back to Universal.  That started quite the conversation of heading back there for the older kids with much dissension from Jainie.  Jainie wanted to back to M.K.  But, in the end, I chose.  I wish I could say that Jared helped choose, but I really am the one who cares the most and my favorite is EPCOT!!!  There is so much to see there and it is a bit more relaxed and there are both rides and educational aspects - perfection!

Yep, it's still pretty cold.  But, the sun is out - that will help, right?

We (and by that I mean I) decided that since it was cold and we hadn't been in the Innoventions buildings too much yet, that that is where we were going to spend our morning.  Brilliant plan, who thought of that?  Oh, yeah, I already said it was me. :)

But, first we needed to get fastpasses to Soarin,' so Joshi and I ran over to The Land and snatched some up.

Then, we went back to Innoventions and played this great game.  What you do is stand in this electronic thingy - where you get recorded doing things like running in place, jumping, and dancing.  I have to say Josh did pretty well, but Jainie totally out-danced him.  

Then, as you can't see on this game screen, it would put you in your own video game.  When you would push the buttons for running or jumping, your very own action figure (not really computer speak, but you get what I mean) would do the same action you recorded.  Get it?  

 If you look closely, you can see Jaxon and Jake on their screen.  The dancing part was for the end, when you won, you would do a victory dance.  This was hands down the longest line for this area of interactions.

The kids went and listened to a "real firefighter" tell about avoiding fires and what to do there.  (I guess I should explain why real firefighter is in quotes - he really was a firefighter, I just thought it was funny that he was advertised with a sign telling kids they would get to meet one - in Richfield, we see real firefighters all the time.)  Jainie was the only one we could get to be in a picture with him.  Hopefully she learned a LOT!

I know we did quite a few other things in Innoventions, but I can't seem to locate the pictures.  We played a game where we were all on the same team, but played other people to find fires in a house.  We played new coming out video games where you would play your favorite sports teams, or challenge a villain to a duel.  Jainie's favorite thing was an exhibit that taught you to save money, "The Great Piggy Bank Adventure."  Each person would get a piggy bank, that was a really cute plastic piggy.  Then, you would go play three different games.  I can't remember exactly what they were, but they involved the stock market, where you would try to weave in between obstacles to keep gaining money and not losing any, one that challenged you to save and not spend the money you earn, and I don't remember the other one.  Oh, and at the first you had to decide what you were saving your money for - a vacation, a house, college, or a new extreme room makeover? I think. Anyway, you would put the pig in a slot where the game was and when your time was up it would drop money into the piggy.  (It really would get heavier and lighter).  Anyway,  at the end you would put your piggy in a bank and lock the vault and it would tell you if you reached your goal.  It was pretty great - too bad I couldn't get the boys to try it out.  Jainie played with Grandma and had so much fun.  Then, somehow Gma found a piggy bank almost identical to that one and she gave it to Jainie for Christmas.  Belle loves it and plays with it all the time.  I guess if nothing else she learned to love piggy banks. :)

Also, there was the coolest exhibit there.  It was a "design-your-own-theme-park-roller-coaster" experience, called, "The Sum of All Thrills."  So, it was like we were engineers.  (We actually went back to this one after we had finished the rest of the park at night-time.)  Everyone was pretty pooped, but it was so much FUN!  You would go into a room and be directed on the laws of physics, then, you would go to a huge table touch monitor and choose if you wanted a roller coaster, a jet, or a bobsled type ride.  And, what kind of things you wanted on your ride (ie; loops, twists, etc.) and how steep or not-steep they would be, or you would decide to put in a loop then you would say how tight it would be.  You would enter it into the computer and then it would show you a draft of what you'd created.  Then, the computer would test it - most of the time we were too extreme and our poor cart would fly off the tracks.  Once you had it right, you would head up some stairs and try your ride out!  You would be put into this mechanical arm type thing that completely enclosed you and a monitor screen was right in front of you where you would see your ride.  It was totally AWESOME!  One of my favorite things we did! - you could have a different ride every time.  And, it was fun to watch to because you would see this mechanical arm swinging around and tipping people upside down, moving quickly, and people would scream and kick their feet up in the air.  It seriously was cool - the kids LOVED it - they went so many times.  We had to sneak Jake on.  The lady said he was too short, so we had to do some adjusting and then even wait until she was off duty.  I mean, come on people, do you really think I would risk my own child's life if I didn't think it was safe?  Phseesh!  Well, maybe, it is DisneyWorld.  Anyway, it was a blast!

After we had spent a little time in the Innoventions building (and by a little, I mean a couple hours.  You could seriously stay in there for an entire day, there is so much to look at and get involved in) we decided it was time to move on.  We decided to go on one of my favorite rides from when I used to come here.  It is in The Land and called, "Living with the Land."  It is a boat ride that teaches about the past, present, and furture of farming and agriculture in America.

Another good thing about it is that it is still indoors - not too chilly.  You can see Jaxon is really soaking in all that knowledge!

I had to take this picture because it is the only alligator/crocodile (I don't know which) that we saw the whole time we were in Florida.  I guess we should have ventured out more, but I guess that is yet another reason to head back.  Isn't he cute?

Oh, look, another temperamental beast with a ferocious attitude.  I think they should live together, how about you?  Don't let that innocent face fool you!

This was one of my favorite things there.  Don't you love how they grow the food?  They grow food for the Disneyworld food areas and all of it for The Garden Grill, inside The Land.  Pretty sweet pumpkins - especially for December!

It was getting to be time to eat and Gma had wandered off so we decided to head over to the World Showcase and eat some fish & chips.  Now, I am not usually an "eat the same thing twice on vacation" kind of girl.  I guess you could say I am an adventurer, even when it comes to food, which is unusual because I am a very picky eater and used to never eat anything, I guess that I've grown, both emotionally and physically.  Good and bad.  Anyway, it was so good the couple days before that we had had it, we had to head back.  And, fancy who we met there, I guess Gma had the same idea because there she sat.  The kids were so excited to see her, you'd think she'd been gone a year.  They ran over and told her what they'd been doing.

It was really pleasant at this time, we all took our jackets off pretty quick.

The boys testing out the telephone booths found only in the U.K.  I wonder if they have a different name for them.  Don't they call it the telly?

Jared and I were happy to let them roam, as long as we could eat our delectables in peace. YUM!  I have been trying to find a delicious fish & chips recipe since we got home to no avail.  Does anyone have one they would like to share with me?  I would be eternally grateful!

Gma, Jaxon, and Josh finished their lunch first so they wandered over to the shops of the U.K. while the rest of us sat and enjoyed.  The musical group that performs in the UK is called, The British Invasion, however I heard they actually have changed to a different band now - just so you know, when you go.  :)  Note:  I loved this band, they were so great and it really was like listening to the Beatles, what I remember from my youth, that is.  (If any of you believe that, then . . well.  ?)  Anyway, we could hear them and just sat and enjoyed the sunshine, good music, great food, and superb family!

Have I mentioned the other band that I LOVE at Epcot?  They are in the Canada pavilion and are called, "Off Kilter" and they are so fun to watch and listen to.  We are usually hurrying so I dance as I walk, I just can't help it.  And, I bought one of their CD's the last time Jared and I were there so I can sing along as well.  They have bagpipes and wear kilts - but don't think they are from Scotland, nope, Canada.  Still can't figure that one out.  Which reminds me, I told Gpa I would find that CD for him.  I guess I better get on that.  8 months later.  :)  That's just how I roll.  (If you want to hear any of these, you could just google them, it is seriously AMAZING the things you can find online - who knew?).

So, here we are in the U.K. still talking to a somewhat familiar figure.  This is Father Christmas, that is one of the changes from our Santa Claus.  Most of what they believe and celebrate is the same as us.  They do say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas," which seems ironic to me since it seems that Brits use the word "merry" a lot more often than we Americans do.  But, hey, what do I know.  He also, obviously, wears green instead of red.  Either way it was nice to see a familiar face.  Oh, and Jake really wanted to hold his staff.  It was pretty cool.  (Notice the plants are covered because of the weather - sweet).

After leaving the UK, we walked across the little bridge that leads to France and almost walked right into this little guy.  Jaxon, Josh, and Josie were the first ones to see him.  They hurriedly showed us and we just left it alone.  But, of course, there is some kind-hearted person who wanted to save the snake and definitely not get him stepped on, he was here first, you know.  (said tongue in cheek)  Anyway, that person picked him up with a stick, frantically, I should add, and tossed him in the bushes.  Sometimes I think these city folk do more harm than good.  He was moving, I am sure he would have been fine.  Needless to say, that was the most excited wildlife we saw, except for in Animal Kingdom. No one got too thrilled.  

I forgot to mention that on our way out of Illuminations we decided to, once again, try the Kim Possible missions.  This time we were successful.  The first one was in the UK.  The 3 older kids did them and loved them.  Plus, they got along so well.  Apparently, each country has their own secret little things that happen if you accept a mission from them.  You go and catch bad guys by following their trail.  I think the UK was their favorite one, I think they went on 3 missions.  They did take awhile.  This day was so relaxed with hardly any tourists there, so we let Jaxon, Josie, and Josh take my cell phone and head out on their own.  I think that was another exciting aspect.  Meanwhile, Dad, Jake, Jainie and I  continued on in our search for great Christmas stories.  In this picture, you can see that the kids are huddled over the Kimmunicator, looking for their next mission.

This was in Morocco, which is obviously not a Christian nation, but a Muslim one.  But, it was still fun to talk traditions with them.  This is Taarji, the storyteller, who showed us dances, played the drums (and let the kids help him) and told us of traditions through dance, which Jainie is helping with.

Jake and Jainie were so thoroughly enjoying each other.  I am not sure how it happened, I think because the other kids were off doing their own thing, these two had time to themselves.  So, they walked along, holding hands, dancing, singing, & laughing.  The best part was watching other people notice them.  And, you had to notice them - they were very apparent.  You can see everyone who has passed and is passing them have smiles on their faces.  Jared & I walked behind them and it was darling to just enjoy the two of them.  They really are pretty good friends.  I like to think Disney should thank us for helping people smile and making Epcot more magical. :)

You can see who is the boss, right?

This is a picture from Japan.  Jared stayed outside with Jake and Jainie while I went shopping for a bit.  They had such neat stuff to buy in Japan, but trying to shop while watching kids and keeping them out of trouble is impossible.  Not to mention, worrying about Jared and having him eyeball me and my purchases.  :)

So, these next three are part of a funny story.  In Japan, there seem to be a lot of birds.  In fact, I overheard some people talking about walking quickly through this part of the park and definitely NOT stopping here.  That was after this incident.  So, this is where the kids waited for me.  

Here you can see Jake is checking something out - in the sky - coming downward.

As you might have guessed, a bird flew in and pooped on Jared.  Yep, I think it was right on his head - maybe his shoulder.  Either way, good thing he had on a hoodie and that hoodie saved him.  (I think Jared would have inisisted on going to the hotel and showering if it had touched his skin).  Anyway, you can see Jake and Jainie think it is downright HILARIOUS!  

In fact, maybe too hilarious!  But, guess who came out and saved the day?  Yep, yours truly - I had wipes and we (and by that, once again, I mean I) wiped it all up and off him and threw it in the garbage.  I am not sure that Jared thought this was as funny as these two did.

This is the culprit, looks innocent enough, right?

This is the cool drum show they do in Japan.

I wanted the kids to see the show in America, "The American Adventure," so that is where we headed next.  Plus, I love the "Voices of Liberty" who perform there.  It's always good to get some patriotism in in every vacation.  And, we lucked out and got to enjoy these guys for awhile as well.  They are so great, it reminds me of being in Williamsburg.  You can see Jake and Jainie watching in the left of the picture.

This is inside the American pavilion.  We were just sitting and waiting while Jake and Jainie laid in the middle of the floor enjoying the coolness of it.  The other kids joined us here and we all loved the "Voices of Liberty" perform not only patriotic songs, but mostly Christmas songs.  I was totally relaxed and enjoying every minute.  How often do all five kids get along famously?  Ah, perfect.

Jake and Jainie really wanted to meet Jasmine and Aladdin and we had noticed the times they would be visiting as we left Morocco, so immediately following our American experience, we ran back to get in line.  Which we waiting in for quite and while, this might be the longest character line we waited in.  It was probably a half an hour.  Anyway, well worth the wait, Aladdin and Jasmine were very gracious and it was a lot of fun.  I think these are their COLD clothes, which honestly, I prefer.  :)

So, I can't remember perfectly what else we did this afternoon.  I know Sara and Gpa made it back to join us.  I remember going back over to future world and we did see "Journey into Imagination with Figment," I always like that ride.  It's just a cute ride about  the five senses and how much your imagination helps you.  And, I love Figment, he is such a cute little dragon.  We did go back to Spaceship Earth as well, it is such a great little, relaxing ride.  LOVE it!  

As for food, I know we didn't eat at a sit-down place today.  Another thing that allowed us to have more time.  It really is a catch-22, do you sit down to eat and enjoy a nice experience or do you save your time for other things and eat on the go.  Hmmm, I guess I nice mix is best.  We did have some yummilicious treats!  We had chocolate crepes in France and delicious caramel treats in Germany.  My favorite was a chocolate cupcake with lots of white frosting and caramel drizzled over the top - thanks Sara!  We tried to get Kaki Gori in Japan, which is delish! but it was closed when we got there.  Oh, I also made sure I got all my Christmas ornaments from each country.  But, I didn't have time to go to Mexico.  :(  So, if anyone is going anytime soon and wouldn't mind picking something up for me, that would be totally AWESOME!!!  :)

We ended up back at Innoventions, where we played a bit more.  This is when we designed our own roller-coasters, as I mentioned earlier.

So, you can tell, we were exhausted!  Jainie is already asleep and the rest of us are waning.  But, what a GREAT day!  I seriously had such a great time.  It was nice to not be so rushed and stop to enjoy the little things.  

Time to go home to bed.  I think we were all so tired, we didn't even notice the towels this day.  What a shame.  Oh, well, it was a wonderful day - night!